Invincible-class aircraft carrier
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (September 2011) |
HMS Ark Royal in 2008
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Class overview | |
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Name | Invincible class |
Builders |
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Operators | Royal Navy |
Preceded by |
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Succeeded by | Queen Elizabeth class |
Built | 1973–1981 |
In commission | 1980–2014 |
Completed | 3 |
Scrapped | 3 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Light aircraft carrier |
Displacement | 22,000 tonnes[1] |
Length | 209 m (686 ft) |
Beam | 36 m (118 ft) |
Draught | 8 m (26 ft) |
Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range | 7,000 nmi (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at cruising speed |
Troops | Up to 500 Marines |
Complement | 650 ships company, 350 air crew |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Armament |
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Aircraft carried | |
Aviation facilities |
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Notes | [3] |
The Invincible class was a
The three vessels saw active service in a number of locations, including the
Invincible was decommissioned in 2005 and put in reserve in a low state of readiness.[4][5] She was sold to a Turkish scrapyard in February 2011,[6] and left Portsmouth under tow on 24 March 2011.[7] Pursuant to the Strategic Defence and Security Review, 2010, Ark Royal followed, decommissioning on 13 March 2011. This left Illustrious as the sole remaining ship, serving as a helicopter carrier from 2011 to 2014 when it was decommissioned as well.[8][9] The Royal Navy was without an aircraft carrier for the first time in nearly a century, until the commissioning of the first of two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers in December 2017.
Development
The Invincible class has its origins in a sketch design for a 6,000-
In February 1963, the
Economic problems in the UK in the early 1970s delayed progress on the new ships, but the design continued to evolve. The order for the first ship was given to
The government decided that the carrier needed fixed-wing aircraft to defend against Soviet reconnaissance aircraft.
After the 1982
Foreign interest
In the mid-1970s, the
The 1981 Defence White Paper and its planned reduction in the size of the carrier fleet saw Invincible marked as surplus to requirements, and the ship was offered for sale to the Royal Australian Navy in July 1981 as a replacement for the ageing aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne.[17] The class had previously been considered and discarded as a potential replacement for the Australian ship, but the low £175 million (A$285 million) offer price and the already-constructed state of the vessel prompted the Australian government to announce in February 1982 their intention to accept the British offer.[18] In Australian service, the ship would have been named HMAS Australia, and would operate as a helicopter carrier until a later decision on the acquisition of Sea Harriers was made.[19] Invincible's service during the Falklands War showed that the White Paper's suggested reductions were flawed and both nations withdrew from the deal in July 1982.[18]
Falklands War
Prior to 1982, Invincible's air group consisted purely of Sea King HAS.5 anti-submarine helicopters and
The
In the aftermath of the Falklands, the typical air group was three AEW Sea Kings, nine ASW Sea Kings and eight or nine Sea Harriers. Analysis of the Sea Harrier's performance during the war led to the requirement for an upgrade, approval for which was granted in 1984. The
Modernisation
In later years, three other changes were made. One was the removal of the Sea Dart system, creating an increased deck park for aircraft. The Sea Dart magazines were converted to increase air-to-surface weapons stowage, and new aircrew briefing facilities created under the extended flight deck, both to support the embarkation of RAF Harrier GR7s as a routine part of the air group. The ships were all fitted to handle
The last wartime deployments of the class saw them in their secondary LPH role, as it was officially judged that Sea Harriers could provide no useful role in the missions. During those deployments, the class embarked RAF Chinook helicopters, in lieu of their fixed-wing complement.
Invincible's final refit was in 2004.[5]
Illustrious underwent a 16-month £40 million refit at Rosyth Dockyard during 2010 and 2011 in preparation for her new role as a helicopter carrier during the refit of HMS Ocean.[9]
Final years
The Sea Harrier was officially retired on 1 April 2006. The principal weapon of the Invincible-class carriers then became the
Invincible was decommissioned in July 2005, and was mothballed until September 2010.[4] On 24 March 2011 Invincible left Portsmouth under tow for scrapping at Leyal Ship Recycling, Turkey.[7]
Ark Royal took over as the flagship, was planned to be decommissioned in 2016, but retired in 2010 following the Strategic Defence and Security Review.
Illustrious remained the only one of the class in service, but was also retired in 2014. After being laid up it left Portsmouth under tow to the shipbreakers in Turkey on 7 December 2016.[20]
Two larger Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers replaced the Invincible class, with the first, HMS Queen Elizabeth, commissioned in late 2017. They displace around 65,000 tonnes each[21] – more than three times the displacement of the Invincible class.
Ships in class
Name | Pennant | Image | Builder | Ordered | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Invincible | R05 | Vickers Armstrong, Barrow.[22] | 17 April 1973 [14][22][23] | 20 July 1973 [22] | 3 May 1977 [22] | 11 July 1980 [22] | Broken up at Aliağa, 2011 | |
Illustrious | R06 | Swan Hunter, Wallsend[22] | 14 May 1976 [22] | 7 October 1976 [22] | 1 December 1978 [22] | 20 June 1982 [22] | Broken up at Aliağa, 2017 | |
Ark Royal (ex-Indomitable) |
R07 | Swan Hunter, Wallsend [22] | December 1978 [22] | 14 December 1978 [22] | 2 June 1981 [22] | 1 November 1985 [22] | Broken up at Aliağa, 2013 |
References
- ^ "HMS Illustrious". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012.
- ^ The Big Interview: Admiral Sir Alan West
- ^ "Invincible Class Aircraft Carriers, United Kingdom". Naval-technology.com. Archived from the original on 19 June 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ a b "Barrow-built Invincible thrown out of the Navy". North West Evening Mail. 5 October 2010. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ^ a b Rayment, Sean (28 November 2010). "Aircraft carrier HMS Invincible is put up for sale". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "HMS Invincible sold to Turkish ship recyclers". BBC News. 8 February 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ a b "Former HMS Invincible leaves Portsmouth". BBC News. 24 March 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ Ward, Victoria (11 March 2011). "Ark Royal: decommissioning marks end of a long and celebrated history". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ a b "HMS Illustrious leaves Rosyth after £40m refit". STV. 20 June 2011. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
- ^ ISBN 0-370-31021-7.
- ^ Hansard HC Deb 26 March 1969 vol 780 c303W Cruisers (V/STOL Aircraft)
"Mr. Wall asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the new cruisers will operate vertical/short take-off and landing aircraft; and when it is expected the first will be ordered.
Mr. John Morris No decision has yet been taken whether vertical and short take-off and landing aircraft should be operated at sea. It is too early to say when the first of the new cruisers will be ordered." - ^ a b James, D. R. (January 1999). "Carrier 2000: A Consideration of Naval Aviation in the Millennium – I" (PDF). The Naval Review. 87 (1): 3–8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
- ISBN 0-7509-2458-6.
- ^ ISBN 0-7106-0105-0
- ^ ISBN 9781612519999.
- ^ Secret Projects, 13 September 2010
- OCLC 39641731.
- ^ OCLC 50418095.
- ISSN 1322-6231.
- ^ "Changes to Royal Navy's surface fleet announced". Ministry of Defence. 15 December 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ^ ISBN 0-85177-605-1page 501.
- ^ Hansard HC Deb 04 March 1977 vol 927 c337W, this lists Invincible as ordered in financial year 1973–74, the explanation for this is given in the following source:
Hansard HC Deb 24 November 1977 vol 939 cc869-70W Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about contracts, 24 November 1977.
For the first ASW Cruiser (HMS Invincible) the planned order date when tender invited was February 1973. The contract was placed in April 1973.
Further reading
- Waters, Conrad (December 2016), "Invincible Class Aircraft Carriers", Ships Monthly: 33–39